‘Safe Recipe Style Guide’ and the Evaluation of UK Meal-Kit Recipe Cards

Meal-kits are boxes of fresh, measured ingredients, requiring storage, preparation, and cooking by the consumer. Growing in popularity, meal-kits tend to promote a healthier, less wasteful and more convenient alternative. Consumers prepare their chosen meal in their home kitchen following the step-by-step recipe card included with the ingredients provided.

Given the association of the domestic kitchen with the sporadic incidence of foodborne illness, this current consumer trend presents unique food safety challenges, offering distinctive opportunities to inform and enable consumers to implement important food safety practices to reduce the risk of foodborne illness associated with food prepared in the home.

Research suggests that the inclusion of food safety information in recipes improves consumer food-safety practices. However, little is currently known regarding food safety information in meal-kit recipe cards. Consequently, there is a need to review and evaluate recipe cards provided in meal-kit subscription boxes to determine the inclusion of food safety information.